


A Study in Scarlet Alternate Ending

by oceansgivepeace



Series: Sherlock oneshots [2]
Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Alternate Ending, Book: A Study in Scarlet, Gen, POV John Watson, Victorian John Watson, Victorian Sherlock Holmes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:48:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29970744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansgivepeace/pseuds/oceansgivepeace
Summary: An alternate ending to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Study in Scarlet”Contains spoilers
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Series: Sherlock oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2204352
Kudos: 1





	A Study in Scarlet Alternate Ending

**Author's Note:**

> this was for a school assignment. i had to write an alternate ending to a book i read, in the style of the author who wrote it

As Lestrade ran into the flat he said something along the lines of, “I caught the killer!” This obviously suprised Gregson, who beloved that he had caught the killer, all this amusing Sherlock.

”What do you mean you caught the killer! I’m the one who caught the killer!” Gregson exclaims.

”In fact, Gregson, I have Joesph Strangerson in custody right now, and I figured you and Sherlock would like to witness the questioning of the suspect,” Lestrade explains.

”We must not waste any time then?” Sherlock inquires.

We all reach the station after catching a cab and struggling to fit all four of us into it’s small carriage. Sherlock, Gregson, and I all stand in the corner while Lestrade sits in front of Strangerson asking him questions. After about an hour, Lestrade concluded that Strangerson did not commit the crime.

Strangerson had an alibi, and no motive. Drebber was Strangerson’s close friends and though Drebber has a temper, he had never wronged Strangerson. And even if Strangerson did in fact have a motive, he was in a train to Liverpool during Drebber’s time of death.

The conclusion overjoyed Gregson because he in fact caught the killer. Arthur Chapman had no alibi and had a solid motive.

Gregson went to question Arthur again, but after getting nothing he didn’t already know, Sherlock took it upon himself to question Arthur and have him confess to the murder of Enoch Drebber.

Sherlock, Lestrade and I enter the room, Sherlock going to sit in front of the suspect and Lestrade and I went to stand in the corner and observe.

”Arthur, was it?”

”Yes sir, I’m Arthur Chapman.”

”Can you explain to be why I have a witness saying you when to the Home Remedy Hospital down the road of your Mother’s Hotel and purchased these pills which in large does can kill a man?” Sherlock says holding up a bag of peculiar pills that I had never seen in all my years of medical school and working as a Doctor.

”Whe-Where did you get those?” Arthur stuttered.

”I had a friend retrieve them for me after I had concluded the poison, I smelled in Drebber’s lips could only have come from this specific shop. Now why did you purchase the same exact pills used to kill Enoch Drebber?”

Arthur stayed silent, only mumbling incoherent words.

”Arthur you know with the witness, and detailed logs the shop keeper has I can put you away for a long time. It’s up to you if you want to confess and make this trail easier possibly earning you less time in jail.”

At these words Arthur began spilling everything he knew. He talked of how angry he had been over Drebber’s behavior towards his sister, and Drebber coming back late at night extremely drunk asking for his sister to come with him because he had a lot of money. This only infuriated him more.

As soon as Drebber left after being thrown out by Arthur’s mother, Arthur, in a fit of rage, quickly grabbed a glass of water and a few pounds and walked to the nearby remedy shop and purchased the pills. He quickly caught up with Drebber which wasn’t hard because of how slow he was going because of his sluggish movements and constant stumbling as an effect of the alcohol he had consumed earlier.

After Arthur reached Drebber he convinced Drebber to let him take him to Lauriston Gardens by telling him that there would be free drinks there.

As soon as the two reached the upper floor and entered the room the crime took place in, he crushed up all the pills putting them into the glass of water and handed it to Drebber. Instantly Drebber drank the liquid and quickly collapsed in pain caused by the abundant number of pills he had consumed.

After Arthur was sure Drebber was dead he quickly cleaned up the glass cup that Drebber dropped, cutting himself on the shards. Using this to his advantage, and his limited knowledge of other languages he learned from his time him the navy, he wrote the word “Rache” in his own blood on the wall.

Arthur quickly fled the crime scene after this and walked a while away before realize he had dropped the ring with which he planned to use to propose to his girlfriend. He quickly headed back to Lauriston Gardens but instead ran into the police and pretended to be drunk to throw them off his trail.

After Arthur’s complete confession, Sherlock and I leave the room to tell Gregson of this.

After this we alerted the police chief, and we were told Arthur’s trial would occur on the next wednesday. Sherlock and I left the station because we had nothing left to do there.

In the cab ride back to the flat, I asked Sherlock how he had gotten those pills since he had been with me the whole time.

”Watson, I retrieved the pills by paying those boys to go and fetch them for me. I couldn’t be bothered with such work myself since I had much to do. Now if you’ll allow, I’d like to reflect over the last hour’s events during the rest of the ride to the flat.

Allowing him his time to reflect, I myself began to reflect on how an account of this crime would be great to write for the public. Leaning back in the chair, feeling the rumble of the carriage wheels rolling over the dips in the road, I felt content with the possible new line of work I’d be in.


End file.
